Online gaming rooms typically involve one or more human players logging in to a networked gaming server and competing against one another in games of skill and/or luck. These games may be played for just for purposes of entertainment, or for monetary gain. Some of the more popular types of online games include card games such as blackjack, baccarat, and poker.
The online gaming experience is different from that of in-person, or “brick and mortar,” gaming. As just one example, online games lack physical interaction between players. In some types of games, skilled players may read physical cues, or “tells,” of their opponents in order to gain an advantage of over these opponents. Skilled players may also observe their opponents' style of play over time to determine their opponents' strategies and skill level. Thus, skilled players, in general and on average, may be able to prevail over lesser-skilled players due to this physical interaction. Since this level of interaction is absent from online games, some players of online games may seek other means of gaining an advantage over their opponents.
Online gaming also differs from brick and mortar gaming in that, as a computer-mediated system, detailed online gaming history can be observed and stored. For instance, a gaming server that operates online gaming rooms may store the history of every hand of cards played on the server. Furthermore, a player may employ other software programs to record the history of each hand in which the player participates. As a result, rich databases of hand history are available.
By employing statistical analysis tools, the gameplay statistics of particular players can be analyzed to determine those players' behavior and strategies, as well as their overall skill level. For instance, if a given player has a penchant for a particular style of play, this penchant may become apparent through such an analysis. Thus, players who use these tools may gain an advantage over their opponents.
Use of such tools has led to situations in which players who have access to the tools choose to play online games only or mostly against lesser-skilled opponents. This allows the players with access to the tools to prey on new and inexperienced players, while avoiding playing against highly-skilled and experienced players. Thus, novice players often lose games, and potentially their bankrolls as well, more rapidly than otherwise would be the case. As a result, these novice players may become discouraged and cease playing online games.